Your Fight The Right-Wing Wackos for July 22, 2008

** Human Rights Campaign **
It's time to remove the ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual troops that allow them to serve openly in the military. A measure to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", called The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, has been re-introduced in the US House of Representatives and has received critical support from your representative.

Tell Congress: Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
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** Send Karl Rove to Jail **
Karl Rove has made a career out of distorting facts to destroy political rivals. In the case of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, he went even further: he deliberately put a political opponent in prison based on trumped up charges. The GOP couldn’t beat the most successful Democratic politician in recent Alabama history at the ballot box. So instead, at Karl Rove’s direction, the Bush Justice Department used U.S. attorneys to cook up a false criminal case against Siegelman in order to hand the Governor’s Mansion over to the Republican Party.

It’s no surprise that Karl Rove puts politics before due process, democracy and civil rights. That’s why even when faced with a subpoena from Congress, Rove has refused to testify. Unlike Don Siegelman, Karl Rove is breaking the law.

Rove believes that he is not only above the law, but that he controls it. He’s wrong.

Sign our petition. Send Karl Rove to jail.
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** Food and Water Watch **
Whether it's tomatoes, jalapenos, or cilantro, we are in the midst of the largest Salmonella outbreak in the last decade, and the FDA still can't find the source of contamination. This is due at least in part to the inadequate systems FDA has in place for dealing with these sorts of large scale food safety problems.

FDA is currently taking comments on their Food Protection Plan, and we have some very specific suggestions for them. These suggestions include having more FDA inspectors on the ground, having control over where imported food comes from, and having mandatory recall authority.

Submit your comments and demand the FDA to fix their broken system.
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** National Audubon Society **
Each spring, millions of birds travel thousands of miles from Latin America and the Caribbean to their breeding grounds as far north as the Arctic. Months later, as the temperature drops and winter sets in, these migrants make the long trip back to warmer southern climates. These neotropical migrants face increasing threats—habitat loss, invasive species, disease, and a changing climate. Since its inception in 2002, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act has provided millions of dollars for vital conservation efforts, including monitoring efforts, habitat restoration, education, and other projects in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. But many essential conservation projects remain unfunded.

Please urge your U.S. Representative to cosponsor HR 5756, which will reauthorize this vital program with increased funding.
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** Center for American Progress **
Customs and Border Patrol at the Department of Homeland Security was just given the green light to search and seize laptops at the border, without probable cause, by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. They can deny entry to anyone who refuses to give up their laptops and password. This is an affront to our progressive values of privacy and protection from unwarranted search and seizure.

Join us in demanding that Customs and Border Protection conduct and publish a Privacy Impact Assessment on this policy. People have a right to privacy.

July 15, 2008 -- Your Fight the Right-Wing Wacko Links of the Day.

** Natural Resources Defense Council **
Oil companies and their allies in Congress claim that drilling in America's oceans and coastal areas would help solve the energy crisis and have proposed ending the 27-year moratorium on new offshore drilling. But offshore drilling would neither solve our energy needs nor significantly lower gas prices. Instead, drilling would harm America's economy, health, oceans and coasts.

Proponents of offshore drilling claim it would reduce gas prices, even though the Department of Energy has determined that it would not significantly do so. Oil companies currently have 5,500 offshore leases they are not drilling, and with 80 percent of the untapped oil in offshore areas already open to development, they do not need access to more areas to increase supply. And while the U.S. oil industry says it wants even more access to sensitive ocean areas to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, American-based companies are shipping record amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel to other countries. This proposal is simply a way to give oil companies unfettered drilling access to our oceans and coastal areas.

In addition, opening up additional offshore areas to drilling poses real threats to our ocean and coastal ecosystems and economies. Offshore drilling creates toxic waste products that contaminate fish and marine life. Offshore wells emit air pollutants that are known carcinogens, cause respiratory problems and worsen global warming. And current cleanup methods can only remove a small fraction of oil spilled in marine waters, where it is toxic for most species.

America needs real, long-term solutions for the energy crisis, but oil companies and their allies are not delivering them. We need to use less oil by improving energy efficiency and utilizing renewable energy. In doing so, we can achieve energy independence, fight global warming, and jump-start our nation's economy

Tell Congress not to allow drilling off our coasts
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** Senator Barbara Boxer **
Recently, running contrary to every shred of common sense, President Bush lifted the presidential moratorium on drilling for oil off our precious coastline. And now he wants Congress to lift the moratorium as well.

In the final months of his failed presidency, George Bush wants to give the oil companies a huge gift that threatens our coasts, our economy, and our jobs -- while not doing one single thing to lower gas prices.

Tell my colleagues in Congress to stand firm: Sign my petition to the House and Senate leadership, urging them not to lift the Congressional moratorium on offshore drilling!
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** Human Rights Campaign **
Former Senator Jesse Helms (widely known racist, sexist, homophobic right-wing pig), the notorious author of dozens of measures attacking GLBT and HIV-positive people during his years in the Senate, died on July 4 (Good riddance!). Unfortunately, the legacy of discrimination against HIV-positive people he helped to create lives on in a law that bars nearly every foreign person with HIV from entering the United States. That's right – with very few exceptions, an HIV-positive individual cannot come to the United States for any reason, be it to visit, work, study or become a legal resident.

It's an embarrassment and an outrage. And at long last, we have a chance to bring it to an end.

Ask your Senator to stand up against bias and ensure that the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants is repealed.
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** Democrats.com **
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has become much too friendly with Pastor John Hagee, the same man who preached that Hitler was only doing God's bidding.

Tell Sen. Lieberman to immediately withdraw his commitment to deliver the keynote address at Hagee's Israel Summit on July 22.